“Planet of Music” is rapidly becoming one of the most beloved episodes of the already-beloved Ultraman Blazar. Not only did the episode contain the return of beloved classic Kaiju Garamon, but it featured beautiful music and a wonderful performance by musician Hideki Togi, in the role of Cicada Human Hoichi Tsukushi. When the time came for “Planet of Music” to be dubbed into English, Okratron Studios reached out to an experienced talent who fans of anime have definitely heard before — Mike McFarland.
Having performed literally dozens of roles since 1998’s dub of Dragon Ball Z in the roles of Master Roshi, Yajirobe, and multiple other characters, McFarland’s work has taken him through a number of the most popular anime of the last 2 decades. One of McFarland’s greatest talents is the sheer emotional range he is able to portray through his various different roles, be it the comical eccentricity of Roshi, the seething rage of Attack on Titan’s Jean Kirstein — or even this comparatively small role of Tsukushi in “Planet of Music.”
McFarland’s work on the episode has been discussed plenty in our review alongside that of main cast member Madeleine Morris, but it must be said again — that performance works so well because of what is perhaps McFarland’s greatest talent as a voice actor, seen from an outsider — the sincerity of his characters, no matter what emotional extreme or human depth that they lie in.
We at Ultraman Connection highly recommend that you go back and check out “Planet of Music” in its English dub, be it on YouTube or here in Ultraman Connection’s exclusive video section. We’ll be featuring more talented voice actors who deliver standout performances as the English simuldub of Ultraman Blazar continues, so make sure to keep watching the dub, and staying close to Ultraman Connection.
